Laundry Tips from Nana

One thing I really admire about my mom is her willingness to help out – even with the messy jobs. After my niece’s wedding, she volunteered to wash all the soiled linens. She was telling me about the different things she used to get all the stains out – and I said, “Mom, that’s blog post!”  And here it is…

Months, three to be exact, of preparation.

One week to set-up including collecting white sheets & cloth tablecloths for tables & skirting at the reception.

(Why cloth for tables? “Well, Mom, we want to make this barn-like room look and feel like a wedding reception!” so stated my daughter, the mother-of-the-bride. And so it was!)

One romantic evening with a beautiful and memorable wedding and reception that was enjoyed by all 500 people attending.

One day to take everything down, sort and transport back home – thanks to lots of help!

Several garbage bags worth of dirty white sheets & table cloths that came home with us.

Two full days of washing!

What a kaleidoscope of stains – blue frosting & punch, barbecue sauce, root beer & coffee!

My arsenal of stain weapons included Fast Orange, Oxi Clean & Simple Green.

Fast Orange works well on most any stains. Just rub on the spot before putting in the wash.  It was on the shelf for cleaning up hubby’s hands after his greasy mechanical projects.  I’ve also discovered that it is works really well to take grease spots out of his clothes.

One day I needed to take some cherry juice stains out of my knit top after pitting cherries. Fast Orange was the only cleaning item on my shelf. I discovered it is an all-purpose stain remover for clothes that are washed in warm or hot water.

Oxy Clean powder was left over from my “get out the brown stains in vintage linen” project! It works well when you dissolve it in very hot water and soak the stain for a few hours or overnight.

Simple Green works well on greasy stains. Just spray & wash. We were introduced to this product when the car we had purchased had transported a can of diesel fuel in the trunk. After several treatments we have managed to eradicate that odor!

After treating the stains liberally with my arsenal, I washed them in warm water with detergent.

Taking the tablecloths, which were cotton/polyester blend, out of dryer while still a little damp and hanging them up saved lots of ironing! The skirting sheets were all cotton and will have to be pressed before using again.

Now the sheets are back in drawers. The skirting & tablecloths are folded and stored in plastic bags ready for the next “white cloth tablecloth” occasion!

Happy Laundering!
Nana Shirley